Device for automatically regulating quality of



(No Model.)

I E. J. FROST. DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING QUALITY OFILLUMINATING VAPOR.

No. 282,069. 1 Patented July 31 1883.

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UNITED ST TES PATENT @FFICE.

EDXVARD J. FROST,- OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

v DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY REGULATING QUALITY OF ILLUMINATING-VAPOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,069, dated July 31,1883.

Application filed October 3], 1882. (No model.) 7

T aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD J. FROST, of thecity and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forAutomatically Regulating the Quality of Illuminating-Vapor.

The following is a specification of my improvements, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a longitudinal sectionthrough the center of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of theregulating-valve, and Fig. 3 is a section through the valve and its seatat right angles to the line of movement.

My invention is intended for use in connection with carburetors or otherdevices for producing illuminating-gas by charging an aircurrent withthe vapor of a volatile liquid. In the practical use of such apparatusit is found that the degree of saturation of the current varies fromtime to time, and thus produces irregularities in the flame. Thus, forsome time after the commencement of operation of the lied on to effectthe automatic control.

carburetor, the current is apt to be too highly charged with vapor, anda dull flame of but little illuminating power is in consequenceproduced. Even after the apparatus has been running steadily for sometime accidental causes may occasion a similar result, so that it hasbeen found advantageous to provide a means for diluting the chargedcurrent by admixture of air. For this purpose the blastpipe of theapparatus has been connected by a branch pipe with the exit-pipe leadingfrom the carburetor, so that air could be forced into the vapor.Apparatus have been devised for automatically moving the air-inlet valveby means of the variations in the heat of aflame produced by burning thevapor itself; but as such variations of heat do not necessarilycorrespond to changes in illuminating power of the mixture, and as themaintenance of a flame is attended with waste, and, if inthe vicinity ofthe apparatus, with danger, it is desirable that some other factorshould be re- I have discovered that in the use of such vapors as thatof gasoline, for instance, the variations in weight of the vapor, .whichcorrespond to these inequalities of illuminating power, are soconsiderable that they may be used for effecting the movements of theregulating valve.

My invention therefore consists, primarily, in combining with theexit-pipe of the carburetor a barometric device, which moves incorrespondence with changes in the density of the'charged current avalve actuated by the movement of the barometric device and an airinletcontrolled by said valve.

It further consists in providing this automatic regulator with asecondary barometric device so arranged as to compensate for atmosphericchanges, which might injuriously affect the working of the regulator.The only condition essential to the working of the ap paratus is theexistence of a column of vapor of such height abovethe barometric deviceas that the changes in relative weight of the column shall. occasionchanges of pressure thereon suflicient to move the valve, and there forethe shorter the column the greater must be the delicacy of thebarometric regulator. As these carburetors, when used for domesticpurposes, are generally placed at below the level of the ground, whilethe pipesextend to the upper part of thehouse,a column of vapor of morethan the necessary height is thus afforded and the movements of thevalve are easily effected.

In the accompanying drawings, E represcnts the exit-pipe leading fromthe carbu retor, which latter may be of any of the wellknown forms. Thepipe E communicates with an air-tight box, B, on the opposite side ofwhich is an exit-pipe, E, leading to the burners. A rigid diaphragm, C,divides this box into two compartments, one of which, V, forms acontinuous passage between the pipe E and E, while the other, V,communicates, by means of pipe F, with the inlet or air-blast pipe ofthe carburetor at a point before the entry into the evaporating-tank..Communication between these two compartments in the box B is controlledby means of a sliding valve, G. This valve I prefer to construct asshown in the form commonly known as gridiron-valve, so that a passage oflarge area may be uncovered by a slight movement.

The valve-scat H consists of a fiat plate with a number ofrectangular-ports, a a a, and is mounted in guideways h 71, which permitits free longitudinal movement. The valve G, having similar ports a a a,slides freely upon the seat H in guidew ys g, and is moved by means of astem, S, whi ch extends down through a slot formed in the seat. The stemS is pivoted at I to a link, J, which is connected at L with ananeroid-plate, D, constructed in the usual manner. The valve-seat H isconnected at N with the lever-arm 0, supported upon the diaphragm G by afulcru1n-pin, I A link, Q, connects the other end of the leverarm withthe secondary aneroid-plate D. As the aneroids D and D face each other,it will be seen that when both are depressed by a simultaneous increaseof pressure in both compartments, the valve G and seat H will be movedin the same direction, the movement of D being reversed by the lever-armO, and thus no change in the relative positions of valve and seat willbe occasioned. The aneroid-plate D is capable of minute adjustment,being mounted upon a stem, S, which terminates in a threaded portion, K,provided with jam-nuts M M, the latter secured by screws into a box orprojection, a, of the box B. The other aneroid, D, need not beadjustable, but is held in position by means of the threaded stem It andnut T.

The operation of the device is as follows: The aneroid D is set, bymeans of its adjusting device, in the proper position. This of coursedepends upon the amount of positive pressure exerted by the blower ofthe carburetor, and also upon the character of the vapor which is to beproduced, which conditions must be ascertained by actual test. Theamount of depression of the aneroidD corresponding to these elementshaving been ascertained, the aneroid D is adjusted so that when inoperation the valve G- shall just cover the ports a a c of the seat H,the ports a a a of the valveplate G being (when seen from the standpointindicated in Fig. l) to the left of the ports a a. a. The air-blastbeing then turned on through E, and passes thence out by the pipe E tothe service-pipe, which leads upward to the burners. So long as thedensity of the vapor of the blast remains normal the valve does notmove; but should the current become too highly charged the weight of thecolumn in the service-pipe increases and the pressure upon the aneroid Ddepresses its diaphragm, thus moving the valve G to the right and uncovering more or less of the ports a a 0, according to the amount ofthis increase in den sity. The pipe F, being in communication with theinlet-pipe of the carburetor, receives the full force of the blastundiminished in velocity by the friction of the evaporating-surfaces,and

consequently when the p orts a a a are uncovered by the movement of thevalve G, the air rushes into the compartment V with a velocity slightlygreater than that of the charged current. The directionof the twocurrents being, however, the same, they mingle freely and withoutinterference, so that the charged current is diluted and its densitygradually decreases, when, the pressure upon the aneroidD beingdiminished, it moves outward, (or toward the left, as seen in Fig. 1,)and the valve G again closes the ports a a 6. Thus an automatic controlof the degree of saturation is established more or less minute,according to the sensitiveness of the aneroid D. The purpose of theother aneroid, D, is as follows: The actual atmospheric pressure beingof course a factor in determining the position of the aneroid D,variations due to changes in the condition of the outside air mightdisarrange the set of the valve G and require corresponding adjustmentsof the aneroid D toward or away from the valve-seat H. The secondaryaneroid D acts to compensate these variations and remove this element ofi11- equality as it moves simultaneously with such anovements of the-aneroid D, and, as its motion is reversed by means of the lever-arm O,the sliding-valve seat H is moved by changes of v atmospheric pressureto exactly the same exwithout affecting the principle and mode of 1operation of the device.

I therefore do not limit my claim to the use of the particular form ofvalve nor to the particular aneroid shown; but

I desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In an apparatus for producingilluminating gas or vapor, the combination, with the the carburetor, thecharged vapor enters the compartment V of the box B through pipedelivery or service pipe, so arranged as to con- 1 tain a column ofvapor, of a subjacent mixing device consisting of the followingelements,

viz: an air-inlet pipe leading from ablast-producing apparatus into saiddelivery-pipe, a valve controlling the admission of air from said inletinto said delivery pipe, an aneroid or equivalent device exposed to thesaid column of vapor and moving in accordance with changes in thedensity thereof, and suitable connection between said aneroid and valve,whereby the orifice for the admission of air shall beautomaticallyincreased in proportion to the richness of the vapor insaid column, substantially in the manner set forth.

2. In an apparatus for automatically regulating the admixture ofatmospheric air and IIO illuminating-gas by means of an aneroid or Itovariations in the density of the air, the

Whole operating substantially in the manner IO specified.

EDWVARD J. FROST.

Vitnesses: Y

J. WALTER DoUGLAss, CHARLES F. ZIEGLER.

